Heavy Metal in Baghdad

Storyline

Heavy Metal in Baghdad is a feature film documentary that follows the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda from the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to the present day. Playing heavy metal in a Muslim country has always been a difficult (if not impossible) proposition but after Saddam’s regime was toppled, there was a brief moment for the band in which real freedom seemed possible. That hope was quickly dashed as their country fell into a bloody insurgency. From 2003-2006, Iraq disintegrated around them while Acrassicauda struggled to stay together and stay alive, always refusing to let their heavy metal dreams die. Their story echoes the unspoken hopes of an entire generation of young Iraqis.
This film follows the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda from the fall of Saddam Hussein to their escape from Iraq. From 2003 to 2006 Eddy Moretti and Alvi Suroosh have visited the four musicians and from video diaries, interviews and rare recordings of live performances made a music film that casts an unusual look into the everyday life of Iraq. Four young men want to make music, but heavy metal seems to be virtually impossible in a Muslim country. Glows after Saddam's fall on hopes of freedom - but this is brutally dashed when the country is sinking into bloody riots. A bomb destroyed the rehearsal room and tools, die or flee the few fans and the band gets death threats from religious. Celebrations are banned; headbanging anyway because the monotonous movement of the head resembles the prayer of Orthodox Jews. With an astonishing amount of humor to describe the musicians' life in a war zone, in the shootings, bombings and kidnappings are on the agenda. Finally, the band fled out of fear for their lives in Damascus, Syria. The film "Heavy Metal in Baghdad" reflects the feeling powerless and desperate life of a disillusioned young generation in Iraq whose lives have been changed by the war.